Saturday, December 31, 2011

THE FOUR FEATHERS: Blu-ray (London Films 1939) Criterion Home Video

The essence
and flavor of Zoltan Korda's 1939 adaptation of The Four Feathers is arguably the most loyal to A.E.W. Mason's 1902
novel. Although it diverges in many ways from a purist's interpretation of the
book, the film holds the dubious distinction of being the only adaptation to
feature an all British cast. The screenplay by R.C. Sherriff, Lajos Biro and
Arthur Wimperis takes up its tale of heroism after the fall of Gen. Gordon in
Khartoum. Gen. Flaversham (Allan Jeayes) is a disillusioned relic of the old
home guard who worries that his young son, Harry (Clive Baxter) does not share
in his familial sense of honor. Since the time he was able to walk, young Harry
has been brought up on stories of glory and war. Gen. Burroughs (C. Aubrey
Smith) in particular relishes in recanting his 'good ol' days during the
Crimean conflict. Still, Harry can only see the futility in war. His father's
friend, Dr. Sutton (Frederick Culley) sympathizes with Harry's dilemma but
assures him that when the time comes he will do the right thing to preserve the
Flaversham family name.

Unhappy
circumstance that adult Harry (now played by John Clements) has not changed his
viewpoint with time. It's1895 and the North Surrey Regiment, under Sir Herbert
Kitchener is marching to face the forces of the Khalifa (John Laurie -
decidedly miscast as an Arab). Forced into the army, Lieutenant Harry
Flaversham and his comrades, Capt. John Durrance (Ralph Richardson),
Lieutenants Peter Burroughs (Donald Gray) and Willoughby (Jack Allen) have all
been called into service. But Harry has other plans. Engaged to Ethne Burroughs
(June Duprez) he is no longer willing to sacrifice his own happiness simply to
satisfy his peers.

John, Peter
and Willoughby are outraged by Harry's resignation from the army. They each
give him a single white feather (a symbol of cowardice) to mark their
displeasure. When Ethne does nothing to defend her beloved's reputation Harry
demands another feather from her. Although she refuses, he plucks a single
white plumb from her fan. Harry next confides in Dr. Sutton that he is indeed a
coward, then sets out to Egypt of his own accord to remedy his rash decision to
withdraw from the armed forces. But Harry is still determined to be a hero on
his own terms. He disguises himself as a mute Sangali, intent on infiltrating
the Khalifa's forces and learn their future attack plans against the British.

On route to a
clash with the Khalifa, Durrance succumbs to sun stroke that causes permanent
blindness. Left for dead in the middle of the desert, Durrance is rescued by
Harry who tucks Ethne's white feather into his letter. Forced to retreat back
to England, Durrance actively pursues a romance with Ethne. The old Gen.
approves. Durrance is a retired hero. Out of pity, Ethne pledges herself in
marriage to Durrance even though her heart still belongs to Harry.
Inadvertently, the sightless Durrance reveals to Ethne, the old Gen. and Dr.
Sutton the contents of the white feather. Harry is still very much alive. No
one, least of all Ethne, has the heart to tell Durrance this.

Meanwhile,
back in the Sudan Burroughs and Willoughby are captured and taken to the prison
of Omdurman - a hellish pit of despair from which there is no return. They
quietly discover that the Sangali slave in their midst is none other than Harry
Flaversham, come to their aid with a plan of escape. Harry organizes a revolt
amongst the prisoners who overpower the guards and seize the Khalifa's arsenal.
Their victory spares Kitchener's army from a full blown Khalifa attack.

When news of
Harry's courage reaches Durrance he dictates a letter to Dr. Sutton, releasing
Ethne of her engagement promise under the false pretext that his plans for
therapy abroad to restore his sight will take many years. Sometime later Harry
returns to England. He is reunited with Ethne, the Gen., Dr. Sutton and many
old friends. But as the old General begins to recant his favorite war story,
Harry quietly intervenes to cleverly dispel his embellishments. The mildly
irritated Gen. modestly complains that he will never again be able to tell his
story with a straight face.

The Four Feathersis lavish entertainment. Its
battle sequences are immense and impressive. For some years afterwards they
would continue to turn up as 'stock footage' in other British films. Korda's
direction is more stilted than North American audiences are used to. His
preference for scenes of exposition is that the actors should move about the
scenery while the camera remains relatively stationary. Viewed today, these
intimate scenes have a strangely embalmed quality, a sort of rigid yet mobile
waxworks on display.

The other
'hump' that audiences in this country then and now need to overcome is that The
Four Feathers is a film absent of star power. That vital ingredient aside, the
film is populated by supremely competent performances. John Clements
transformation from apprehensive soldier to Sangali native is sublime
perfection. Ralph Richardson manages a minor acting coup, resisting the more
obvious urge to rely on audience sympathy for the blindness of his character.
Instead, he remains a steadfast beacon of courage under fire - our empathy for
his Durrance derived from Richardson's presence, not his character's
predicament. C. Aubrey Smith's stoic elegance draws from a rich tapestry of
distinctly British memory and fondness for the England that used to be.

In the final
analysis, The Four Feathers succeeds
as a motion picture because the craftsmanship of its acting overrides George
Perinal's rather flat and uninspired cinematography during the lengthy melodramatic
dialogue sequences. The same high praise cannot be extolled on Criterion's
Blu-ray release. It is, frankly, an insult to collectors who have come to
regard the company's integrity and commitment for releasing time honored and
art house movies in the best possible condition available. Although Criterion's
Blu-ray release does correct the horrendous mis-registration problems that
riddled the old MGM DVD from several years ago, it has been derived from a
similarly flawed Technicolor dye transfer that contains severe streaks and modeling
throughout this presentation. Color bleeding during long shots, as well as
obvious 'breathing' of the image around the edges is extremely distracting.

The image is
often gritty rather than grainy. (Aside: 3 strip Technicolor was a grain
concealing process. As such this image ought to be velvety smooth yet sharp.
Regrettably, it is neither). There is an occasional softness, particularly with
the footage shot on location. As example, the rock formations that Lieutenant
Durrance climbs in his sun stroke delirium are not delineated by the coarseness
of their fine texture. Instead they appear as nondescript blobs of grayish
brown.

Only in close
ups does the image vaguely hint at the vibrancy and attention to detail it
ought to have throughout. The audio is mono as originally recorded and
adequate. But the visual are, in a word - disappointing, period! Extras include
an informative feature length audio commentary, a featurette on the Korda
legacy and London Films, and the film's original theatrical trailer. Given
Criterion's usual dedication, this release seems slapdash at best! Not
recommended!

About Me

Nick Zegarac is a freelance writer/editor and graphics artist. He holds a Masters in Communications and an Honors B.A in Creative Lit from the University of Windsor.
He is currently a freelance writer and has been a contributing editor for Black Moss Press and is a featured contributor to online's The Subtle Tea. He's also has had two screenplays under consideration in Hollywood.
Last year he finished his first novel and is currently searching for an agent to represent him.
Contact Nick via email at movieman@sympatico.ca